{"id":45038,"date":"2024-09-20T01:52:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T08:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=45038"},"modified":"2024-10-24T15:15:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T22:15:09","slug":"unique-in-style-rich-in-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/unique-in-style-rich-in-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique in style, rich in culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kommuna Lux (photo by Maria Dmytrenko)<\/em><\/p>\n

[Editor\u2019s Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances related to flight restrictions, the Chutzpah! Festival must postpone Yamma Ensemble\u2019s performances to March. However, the festival has found a vibrant alternative for Nov. 5: Itamar Erez Trio and special guests. Click here for more<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Original music that honours the culture and traditions of its creators. Unique songs that you\u2019d have to travel thousands of kilometres to see and hear live. Or, you could buy tickets to Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz Festival of International Jewish Performing Arts, which runs Nov. 1-10.<\/p>\n

Kommuna Lux from Ukraine brings its unique \u201cOdesa Gangsta Folk\u201d \u2013 which they describe as \u201cthrilling klezmer music and common gangster folk songs from their hometown, all with a dose of rocket fuel\u201d \u2013 to Vancouver to open the festival Nov. 2, 7 p.m., at the Pearl. The event is presented in partnership with Caravan World Rhythms. The group will also travel to Victoria, for a Nov. 1 show at the Edelweiss Club.<\/p>\n

Kommuna Lux\u2019s music is specific to their part of the world, Volodymyr Gitin (clarinet) told the Independent.<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like most about this style is the special energy that charges both us and our listeners,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I also really like how diverse our music is, because it includes almost everything related to the cultural heritage of Odesa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Yamma Ensemble from Israel brings its unique heritage-rich music to Chutzpah! \u2013 on Nov. 5, 7 p.m., at Rothstein Theatre. They also give an intergenerational matinee performance Nov. 4, geared to school and seniors groups, in which they will \u201cinclude as many explanations as possible about the ancient musical instruments, about the Jewish communities around the world, about the songs,\u201d lead vocalist Talya G.A Solan told the Independent<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish to celebrate and enjoy the richness and the immense beauty of the Jewish culture and our origins,\u201d she said. \u201cWe mainly bring out the mix of Jewish cultures, the mix of our different backgrounds and the fact that we came together into an organic and whole music ensemble\u2026. So, in our music, you can hear the music of Spanish Jews from Thessaloniki and Spanish Jews from Turkey, the singing of psalms by the Jews in Iraq and the singing of religious poems from Yemen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Yamma Ensemble (photo by Zohar Ron)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the group\u2019s website, they note that Yamma<\/i> means \u201ctoward the sea\u201d in Hebrew and \u201cmother\u201d in Arabic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe connection between Hebrew and Arabic is not only a connection between two very similar Semitic languages, but also a connection between the countries of origin of the Jews who lived in Arab countries and their descendants, who were born here and grew up in Israel,\u201d explained Solan. \u201cOur musical heritage, like our origins, is connected to the Jewish communities in the Middle East who immigrated to Israel with the language they spoke, the Arabic language in its many dialects (Yemeni, Iraqi, Moroccan, etc.). They came to Israel and had to speak the local language \u2013 Hebrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hebrew is a central element of the ensemble\u2019s repertoire, directly tied to the members\u2019 identity as Israeli musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cHebrew is our mother tongue, the language we were born into and the language in which we dream and communicate,\u201d said Solan. \u201cIt is an ancient, gorgeous and special language that became extinct and was revived in the 20th century. We try to perform mostly in Hebrew. We mix between our own original creations (always Hebrew) and traditional music (Sephardic, Yemenite).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no Israeli music group that performs out of Israel and has been active for a long time [mainly] performing Hebrew music,\u201d she continued. \u201cThis fact is odd and crazy, since Hebrew is the spoken language in Israel, but none of the Israeli musicians active abroad focus on this magnetizing and beautiful ancient language.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the reasons that Yamma Ensemble\u2019s YouTube channel is the most viewed channel of Hebrew music for foreign audiences,\u201d she said, is \u201cthe accessibility of Hebrew for foreign audiences who do not speak it. We translate all the songs, so people can watch them with English translation. We receive daily messages from all over the world from people who write us that they learn Hebrew with the songs, that they get closer to their Judaism through the songs. It feels like a serious task that we didn\u2019t ask to take on, and it happened naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamma Ensemble has four albums \u2013 Yamma<\/i> (2011), Basket Full of Stars<\/i> (2017), Rose of the Winds <\/i>(2020) and To Awaken Love<\/i> (2023) \u2013 the last of which comprises entirely original music, inspired by traditional sounds, said Solan.<\/p>\n

The group is working on an album of psalms. Their performance of Psalm 104 is \u201cthe most viewed Jewish chant on YouTube, [in the] category of live and traditional music,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has already passed 10 million views! So, we need to record this psalms album.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, to produce a recording is an expensive undertaking, and that\u2019s one thing when the music will have a relatively large market. For music \u201cthat is not commercial and does not carry profits or compensation, there must be a budgetary basis or significant support,\u201d said Solan. People who are interested may support the psalms project via the ensemble\u2019s website, yammaensemble.com.<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, Kommuna Lux\u2019s original name also has to do with the financial side of the music business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDengi Vpered<\/i> means \u2018Money Forward\u2019 or \u2018Cash in Advance,\u2019\u201d explained Gitin. \u201cThis name appeared before I was in the group. One day, the guys didn\u2019t get paid for a performance and, since then, they started taking money in advance. At the same time, they named the group that way, with a bit of Odesa humour, and also so that it would be immediately clear how they do business.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter six incredible years of being together, it so happened that our vocalist decided to go his own way and we needed to figure out how and with whom to continue our journey. Also, for various reasons, we felt that it was necessary to change the name\u2026. So, first we found [singer] Bagrat [Tsurkan], who quickly became a valuable member of our team, and then the name itself came along, which resonated with us very much.<\/p>\n

\u201cKommuna Lux<\/i> has several meanings,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of them is \u2018the Commune,\u2019 which is united by the common idea of bringing light and joy to people. But \u2018Kommuna\u2019 can also mean a communal apartment in which several families live. In such apartments, there is a shared kitchen and sometimes a bathroom, and people need to agree with each other to live in peace and harmony. And \u2018Lux\u2019 in this case has another meaning, as a sign of the quality of how we look and sound on stage, the quality of the luxury level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gitin joined the band, which has one album to date (OdesaFM)<\/i>, in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was attracted by the idea of reviving Odesa songs and Jewish folklore in a new, modern way,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything was created and performed with great enthusiasm and a desire to share positive emotions with people. We felt that we were doing something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they do something extra special in some of their performances \u2013 they raise money for Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war with Russia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMostly, we collect money for 110 Brigade, they always need different vehicles for different goals,\u201d said Gitin. \u201cAlso, during our last tour, we [participated in a] joint initiative of Rotary E-Club of Ukraine to buy beds for burn victims, for a hospital in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur whole life is connected with our home and we feel that every Ukrainian joined to help our people,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, our reasons are the same, we can\u2019t just watch, we feel that we should do what we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cMusic is very important, especially in such periods, because, through it, it is possible to express the whole spectrum of feelings. Music can raise the spirit, unite everyone around a common idea, and also help people experience deep feelings, especially when they lose loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rounding out the musical offerings at Chutzpah! this year is New Orleans multi-instrumentalist Mark Rubin, \u201coffering Southern Americana from a Jewish, socially conscious point-of-view.\u201d Jacob Samuel headlines a comedy night hosted by Kyle Berger, and Jeremy Goldstein\u2019s Truth to Power Caf\u00e9 <\/i>includes stories from Vancouverites in response to the question, \u201cWho has power over you and what do you want to say to them?\u201d A dance double bill features Fortress<\/i> (Rebecca Margolick and Livona Ellis) and About Time<\/i> (Ne.Sans Opera & Dance, Idan Cohen). Canadian Yiddishist Michael Wex brings The Last Night at the Cabaret Yitesh (di letste nakht baym yitesh) <\/i>to the festival, and the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival and Chutzpah! co-present the screening of Gimpel the Fool Returns to Poland<\/i> by Nephesh Theatre artistic director Howard Rypp, which \u201cfollows the show\u2019s journey throughout different towns of Poland, while tracing [Gimpel <\/i>writer Isaac Bashevis] Singer\u2019s escape from the Holocaust, finally finding refuge in the USA.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For tickets to any of the festival events, visit chutzpahfestival.com<\/a> or call 604-257-5145.<\/p>\n

New this year for the Chutzpah! Festival:<\/b> Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver members receive discounted ticket prices and concession purchases at the theatre. Select Student\/Senior\/JCC Member tickets and ChutzPacks and bring your membership card to the theatre.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kommuna Lux (photo by Maria Dmytrenko) [Editor\u2019s Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances related to flight restrictions, the Chutzpah! Festival must postpone Yamma Ensemble\u2019s performances to March. However, the festival has found a vibrant alternative for Nov. 5: Itamar Erez Trio and special guests. Click here for more.] Original music that honours the culture and traditions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[788],"tags":[20202,7778,573,5780,2726,4330,23501,23505,9424,23504,797,23503,23502],"class_list":["post-45038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-arabic","tag-arts","tag-chutzpah-festival","tag-culture","tag-hebrew","tag-israel","tag-kommuna-lux","tag-odesa-gangsta-folk","tag-psalms","tag-talya-g-a-solan","tag-ukraine","tag-volodymyr-gitin","tag-yamma-ensemble"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}